Sanctus - Millions of Sanctarians go to the polls today to elect a new government for the next five years after what has been an uncharacteristically tame election campaign. For the first time in Sanctarian history ballots will also be cast for members of parliament's upper house, with each borough returning two Senators. Polling opens at 6am and ends at 11pm in stations across the country.

Outgoing Prime Minister Joshua Turner, who is not contesting the election, has expressed confidence that his successor as leader of the Sanctarian Conservative Party, Mark Kindle, will lead the party to victory. Meanwhile, Charlene Hendry, leader of the Democratic Left Party, told this paper yesterday evening that party polls were showing her party would easily cruise to victory. Counting of the votes begin tomorrow and are expected to end on Monday evening; who will be taking government should be clear around noon on Monday as seats begin to be called for candidates.

The Senate will be the first chamber back in action, with members being sworn in on Monday, February 25th. Committee assignments are expected to be doled out on this day too. The House of Deputies is to return on Thursday, February 28th, with the Prime Minister officially elected by the house by 11am. The new Prime Minister will then nominate fellow Deputies from his/her party to be members of the cabinet; these nominations will be sent to the Senate for approval, with Senate Committees being permitted to question nominees. The new government will then officially take office at noon on Friday, March 1st.

As is tradition, President Marian Woodstrom cast the first vote in Sanctus this morning as the stroke of 6am, before returning to Eagleston Manor for scheduled appointments. While elections are on-going, the day-to-day operation of Sanctaria is being ran by the civil service, with them being legislatively forbidden from taking any executive action.

Sanctus - The nation's first ever directly elected Senators will arrive in Parliament House today to be sworn in and top of the agenda is the doling out of Senate committee seats; very important, as committee members will get to vet any Deputy nominated by the new Prime Minister as a Cabinet Minister.

The return of the Senate also sees an anomaly in Sanctaria, as although the government and the House of Deputies will have a majority, albeit slim, of the Sanctarian Conservative Party, the Senate will have a slim Democratic Left Party majority, the official opposition. And slim it will be too, as the DLP have announced they will be relying on the support of two Independent Senators, including Haven's June Warren, to keep control of the upper house.

Democratic Left Party leader Charlene Hendry has confirmed that Tiffany Bethelson, a DLP Senator from Altashire, will be the party's leader in the Senate; she said that there has not yet been a decision on who the party will nominate as Senate Moderator. She also expressed disappointment that she won't be leading the DLP into the government and becoming the nation's first female Prime Minister, but said that having control of the upper house was "symbolic" and would provide "an effective checks and balance" against the Government in the House. She noted that although the DLP didn't gain the House of Deputies, and thereby get into the government, the party did see an increase in its seats and that the SCP saw a significant fall.

The House of Deputies is back in action on Thursday with the new SCP leader Mark Kindle expected to be elected Prime Minister by the body shortly after 11am. After sending his cabinet nominations to the Senate, he will most likely be spending the day politicking with the Senators on various committee in a bid to get his colleagues in the House confirmed as Cabinet Ministers. The Senate will have to act quick though, as one of the final acts of the previous Government was putting in legislation the date and time the new Government would be sworn in and take office - 12 noon on this Friday.

The DLP have already said that they don't plan to reject any nomination sent to the Senate. "It's envisioned it'll just be a friendly chat before the relevant committees, outlining what they hope to do in their term as Secretary", Senator Bethelson said yesterday evening before continuing to state that "it won't be adversarial. The SCP won, they get to have their team".

Sanctus - Newly elected Prime Minister, Mark Kindle, today officially took office at 12 noon, along with the eleven other Deputies who were confirmed by the Senate to form his Cabinet. This is the third time in a row that the Sanctarian Conservative Party have been elected to govern the nation, and following recent constitutional changes, this will be the first time that the term is capped to five years.

Following their confirmation in the Senate, the following is the composition of the cabinet:

Deputy Prime Minister/Secretary for Finance: As the Deputy Leader of the SCP, Deputy Jason Reid has been given the mainly ceremonial title of Deputy Prime Minister. His prime function will be to represent Prime Minister Kindle on occasions where he is unable to attend, such as PMQs or Leader's Questions. He has also been given the, symbolically, senior cabinet post of Finance, where he'll be responsible for the nation's budgetary and monetary decisions.

Secretary for Agriculture: Julie Chrisintim, previously Minister for Diplomatic Affairs, has been promoted from a Junior Minister to a full Cabinet Secretary, publicly because she's a noted hard worker and grasps difficult areas quickly, but more likely it's because Kindle needs a good number of women in his Cabinet, and many of the hard hitting women in the previous cabinet retired or lost their seats at the last election. Chrisintim comes from a rural constituency and was popular as Junior Minister, so this appointment is likely to be a big hit.

Secretary for Communications & Infrastructure: Former Junior Minister for Economic Planning, Dorian Gallows, is Kindle's new Secretary for Communications, a direct promotion from an economic junior ministry, to one of the more important economic portfolios. Gallows was a hard working junior minister, but kept his profile low and almost lost his seat in the election. It's likely this appointment is both a reward, and an attempt at boosting his profile.

Secretary for Culture, the Arts & Tourism: Kindle has promoted Minister for Children, Oscar Grayson, to this cabinet role, often dubbed as the Department of Fun. Grayson is a close ally of Kindle and is generally considered one of those who helped whip some votes for Kindle in the leadership election. Though generally considered a low-key and low-work post, Grayson is known for enjoying a large workload. It's expected he's going to revitalise the cabinet job.

Secretary for Defence: In what is seen as a major demotion from his cabinet post in the previous government, Deputy David Juyno has been appointed Secretary for Defence. Formerly Secretary for Communications & Infrastructure, and known for his desire for economic portfolios, this appointment is a clear sign to Juyno from Kindle that he expects him to quieten down in this term; Juyno is known to speak his mind and frequently causes uproar and controversy. Juyno didn't support Kindle in the leadership election, and barely clung on to his seat, but the backbenchers are fond of him, so Kindle needs him for now anyway. This job is somewhere where Juyno can't do damage.

Secretary for Education & Science: Continuing her rapid rise in the SCP ranks, Deputy Noreen Islington has been promoted from her previous government position of Culture, to the important and wide-ranging portfolio of Education & Science. Popular on both sides of the House, as well as in the country at large, Islington is also another needed woman that Kindle had to have in his cabinet. It's believed she was also on his shortlist for running mate in the leadership election before he settled on Reid.

Secretary for Enterprise & Commerce: Prime Minister Kindle's old job has gone to longtime Junior Minister, Mark Parson. Parson, who was Minister for Prisons and Police for over five years, joins the cabinet as one of the SCP's most outspoken conservative members. Kindle, who is known to be on the more liberal wing of the party, could have done this in an attempt to quieten him, but it's just as likely it was done because Parson is known to not mess with the status quo; with the economy the healthiest it has been in years, Kindle is likely to want someone who won't mess, but continue with successful policies. Parson is perfect for this.

Secretary for Foreign Affairs: In what was a widely expected move, Kindle's appointment of Yasminé Pontif as Secretary for Foreign Affairs has been widely welcomed by everyone in the political spectrum. Pontif, who was Secretary for Social Welfare in the last government, has previously served as Minister for the United Nations (now World Assembly), and was a diplomat by profession before entering politics. Pontif is known to be a tough negotiator and a very hard worker and is expected to be a great asset to Sanctarian influence internationally.

Secretary for Health: Medical doctor Deputy George Merlinson is Kindle's appointment to the Health Department. Formerly Secretary for Home Affairs, Merlinson had let it be known in recent months that he'd like retire from politics and re-enter the health service; as a massive vote-winner, this was likely a job promised by Kindle if he stayed in politics. The DLP has been very critical of the way the SCP runs the health service, but DLP Senators in the Health Committee expressed their support for Merlinson in their interviews with him as part of the nomination process yesterday.

Secretary for Home Affairs, Justice & Equality: Former Deputy Prime Minister, and loser to Kindle in the leadership election, Deputy Andrew Silk has been appointed to this Department. Silk's tenure in the Foreign Affairs department is not perceived as being very successful although he did succeed in creating a new regional council. Known to be fairly frosty with the Prime Minister, Silk is a hard hitter in the party, so appointment to the cabinet was likely. Known for being tough in the Social Welfare Department, where he also previously served, Silk is likely to go down in history as one of the more tough Secretaries for Home Affairs Sanctaria has seen.

Secretary for Social Welfare & Family Affairs: In what is a direct promotion, former Minister for Employment and Labour Kate Cruz has been appointed to lead this Department. After five years in a junior ministry directly associated with this portfolio, Cruz brings a wealth of experience, in addition to her gender, to the cabinet table. Cruz has kept a relatively low profile in what is seen as a tough job, a fact that stands to her ability to be successful in whatever she puts her hand to, and Kindle has likely noticed this.

Sanctus - Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Yasminé Pontif, has come under a scathing attack by independent Haven Senator June Warren for her failure to appoint the head of the Sanctarian Intelligence Service, almost six months after the post originally became vacant. Pontif, who has been Secretary for Foreign Affairs since the new government came into office at the beginning of March, is the Secretary in charge of the intelligence organisation.

Senator Warren sits on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, and chairs that committee's Sub-Committee on International Security; this sub-committee is usually the one concerned with the happenings and operations of the SIS. In an interview yesterday evening on a major news channel, Senator Warren blasted Secretary Pontif as "disappointing" and "surprising incompetent" before commenting that "[Pontif] obviously cares nothing for this nation's security". She further said that the SIS was "vital to national security" and that failure to appoint a Director "puts Sanctaria at risk". She ended her remarks by stating that if Sanctaria is comprised due to faulty or a lack of intelligence, then Pontif is "the one to blame".

The criticism comes just days after Pontif declined to send the sub-committee a short-list of nominees for the position; Secretary Pontif reasoned that the Senate does not vote to approve the Director of the SIS and thus had no place in the appointment process. Pontif, who served as a diplomat prior to her foray into the political sphere, later confirmed, through a Department spokesperson, that the government's failure to appoint a new junior Minister for International Security had put their search for a new Director of the SIS back considerably and there is, to date, no short-list to send to the Senate Sub-Committee.

The SIS this morning issued a statement saying that Deputy Director John Newall was currently serving as Director in an acting capacity and that the SIS was operating at 100% efficiency. Its press officer criticised Senator Warren for "sensationalising the situation" and assured the public that the threat level to Sanctaria was "low, and the SIS are doing everything to keep it at that level".

Last edited by Sanctaria on Tue Jun 18, 2013 8:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

Sanctus - Former Deputy Prime Minister Robert Smyth was yesterday chosen to be Secretary General of the Council of IDU States in what proved to be an uncontested election. Smyth, who was nominated by Sanctarian Ambassador to CIDUS Dr. Katherine Saunders, was the only nomination and was deemed elected without need for balloting. This will be the first Secretary General of the Council of IDU States, which was formally established only a few months ago, and who passed their first pieces of legislation in the past number of weeks.

Secretary for Foreign Affairs Yasminé Pontif praised her predecessor in a statement released soon after the decision yesterday evening, saying "Robert served his country diligently for over a quarter of a century, and we were delighted when he agreed to do so one final time at our request". Smyth resigned as Deputy Prime Minister and from cabinet in mid 2012 for personal reasons; later revealed as his wife being diagnosed with breast cancer. Although he retired from politics at the general election earlier this case to care for her, it is believed that his wife, Mary, was instrumental in encouraging Smyth to agree to go forward as Sanctaria's nominee for the position. Being restricted to a short and single term with no ability to be re-elected was probably another factor in Smyth's nomination.

In addition to being elected as Secretary General of CIDUS, it was announced yesterday from the Prime Minister's office that Smyth would be appointed as a Commander of the Order of the Dove, the highest award given to those who serve and represent Sanctaria faithfully abroad in duties that are not related to the military. Smyth previous spent five years as Secretary of Foreign Affairs as is widely respected internationally; the elected to Secretary General of an important regional organisation is likely to cement his figure as a Sanctarian elder statesman.

Although not yet available for comment, it is expected Smyth will give a press conference tomorrow as he begins the first day of his six month tenure as Secretary General to outline his agenda for the next six months. During his term in office CIDUS will meet in Sanctus, though it's likely that establishing a headquarters, as well as a list of where the general assemblies will be meeting, will be the first items to be brought up for discussion.

Sanctus - Prime Minister Kindle is set to be grilled by the Senate today over his failure to appoint key junior ministers and other government officials over eight months after his government initially took office. This will be the second time since June that members of the Kindle cabinet have been questioned by Senators over vacancies in government posts; the Senate Subcommittee on International Security previously hauled in Secretary for Foreign Affairs Yasmin? Pontif over the SIS Director post remaining unfilled months after becoming vacant.

Leader of the Democratic Left-controlled Senate Senator Tiffany Bethelson originally announced last week that she would be clearing the entire day for the Prime Minister to answer questions from all 100 Senators - including some within his own Sanctarian Conservative Party. Legislation passed in April under reform packages promised by the new Kindle government included a provision allowing the Senate to summon any junior Minister or Cabinet Secretary, including the Prime Minister him/herself, for questioning or to deliver a statement on an urgent and pressing matter. The Senate originally passed a summons three weeks ago with some SCP Senators joining the majority.

Senator June Warren (I-Haven), who chairs the Subcommittee on International Security and led the original investigation into job vacancies going unfilled, yesterday welcomed the opportunity to question Kindle saying "this government has promised radical reform, and despite its promises, we see Junior Ministries remaining unfilled, and promises of a new Department being put on the backburner with no excuses given. It's time for the SCP government and the SCP-led House of Deputies to stop kowtowing to politics of the past and face up to their promises". Warren confirmed that her subcommittee would be looking into summoning Secretary Pontif before it again as the SIS Director position still remains vacant.

Kindle originally promised a massive shake-up of the government's junior ministries, including the disbandment of some and creation of others. To date only the new Ministry of Mental Health has been created, with Ministries such as Regional Affairs and Food being rumoured for the chop; the latter two remain among the handful of junior ministries yet to be filled with a government deputy. Government sources also confirm a new Government Department is being considered - the first since the creation of the state. This was an election promise, and if carried through, it's likely to be a department devoted to the oversight of Local Government. However senior ministers say the cabinet are reluctant to transfer powers from various government departments to create this new one and will likely create a specific junior ministry within the Department of Home Affairs, the traditional department concerned with local government, to more focus oversight and administration.

Sanctus - After pledging on Monday to announce his government's new Junior Ministries, and the Ministers to fill them, before the week was out, the Prime Minister this evening announced to the House of Deputies the list of deputies the cabinet had approved to become junior ministers, as well as the ministries that they would be filling. In keeping with an election promise, Kindle has cut the the number of junior ministries from fourteen to twelve.

Almost half of the twelve junior ministers are women and this was widely expected after Kindle appointed only four women to his cabinet eight months ago. The new junior ministers, and the portfolios they will be occupying, do not have to be confirmed by the Senate and their appointments only had to be confirmed by the cabinet. Procedural legislation to create some of the new ministries were passed by both the House and the Senate in the hours following KIndle's announcement; previously existing junior ministries did not need to be re-established, while the same procedural legislation officially disbanded ministries no longer existing.

The Ministries of Police & Prisons, Food, Economic Planning, Regional Affairs, and Political Reform have all been disbanded and their duties re-assumed by their respective parent Departments. New Ministries include Local Government Affairs, as confirmed on Monday by senior government sources, a new Ministry of Immigration, and the previously announced and created Ministry of Mental Health.

The Department of Home Affairs, Justice & Equality has reverted back to its old name of just Home Affairs. Kindle has said this was because the Department was still referenced as just Home Affairs in public, in the media, and in the civil service and it made sense to re-certify this. He confirmed that it would still continue to house the responsibilities of Justice and Equality. The Ministry of Disability has been renamed to the Ministry of Integration & Equalities "in order to reinforce that equality in all instances was still on this government's agenda", Kindle said in his statement today. Also renamed are the Ministry of Children, which becomes the Ministry of Youth Affairs, and the Ministry of International Trade and Economic Involvement, which becomes simply the Ministry of Trade. Prime Minister Kindle also announced today that the Ministry of Mental Health would also come under the purview of the Department of Education & Science, as well as staying under the Department of Health, and that the Health Department would be losing the Ministry of Integration & Equalities (previous Disability).

Although some of the junior ministries had been filled prior to this, Kindle today said the cabinet had decided to re-confirm all of them. As of the today the list of Ministries and their Ministers are as follows (names in italics indicate new faces to the team, while those in bold are the junior ministers already appointed this year):

Shane Thompson has been appointed Minister for Budget Affairs. He shall also be Government Chief Whip.Ben Sessions has been appointed Minister for Diplomatic Affairs.
Royce Norn has been appointed Minister for Employment and Labour.Camille Richardson has been appointed Minister for Higher Education.Ann Bond has been appointed Minister for Immigration.Celine Taylor has been appointed Minister for Integration & Equalities.Marc Foster has been appointed Minister for International Security.
Irving Manson has been appointed Minister for Local Government.Eric Crowley has been appointed Minister for Mental Health.
John Warren has been appointed Minister for Trade.Danielle Cordes has been appointed Minister for Transport.Melanie Shore has been appointed Minister for Youth Affairs.

Last edited by Sanctaria on Thu Nov 07, 2013 2:07 am, edited 1 time in total.

S£3.8 MILLION ON DIPLOMATIC FLEET REVAMP
by JOEY SESSIONS, Political Correspondent

Sanctus - Minister for Diplomatic Affairs Ben Sessions is to announce today that the current fleet of cars used for Sanctarian Ambassadors abroad will be phased out by the end of this year and replaced in the first few months of 2014. The range of Mercedes-Benz S-Class W221, which the Department of Foreign Affairs has been issuing to missions abroad, are no longer the most up-to-date model provided by Mercedes-Benz who have recently introduced a successor to the W221, the W222. According to government sources, however, Minister Sessions will not announce the continuation of the Department's association with Mercedes.

It is understood that to refit the entire fleet with the W222 would cost upwards of S£4.7m based on internal costings done by the Department. Instead, the Department of Foreign Affairs has decided to switch from Mercedes-Benz to Jaguar and will allocate to its Ministry of Diplomatic Affairs S£3,872,550 to purchase thirty-three Jaguar XFRs. Although the savings is only slight, Secretary Pontif has previously ordered civil servants and government officials within her Department and child Ministries to find savings wherever possible so more cash is made available for bigger projects.

Despite having far more than thirty-three diplomatic missions abroad, sources within the Ministry have indicated only missions marked active, and not dormant, will receive the new vehicles. It is also believed that the S£3.8m figure applies only to buying the XFRs for existing missions; purchasing vehicles for any new missions opened will obviously add to that cost.

The decision to refit the entire fleet with new cars just because of a new model being introduced by the manufacturer is unusual, but according to those in diplomatic circles, many of the currently used W221s are anywhere up to seven years old and vehicles for official government use are usually switched out after five years. The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and all Department Secretaries currently use BMW 7 series F01, a fleet of which was purchased in 2011. It is not believed that there are any plans to refit this fleet in the near future.

Sanctus - Almost a month after the government first unveiled their white-paper on devolution and decentralisation of power, Secretary of State for Devolution Ben Jackson today formally submitted a bill to the Joint Committee on Constitutional Reform, the bill now formally beginning a long and arduous journey through committee stages, report stages, and debates and scrutiny in both houses. However despite only a month having passed since the plans were first unveiled, there have been many significant changes made, which may upset even sympathetic deputies on the Opposition benches.

Despite being called the "Great Devolution Bill" by proponents in Government, Jackson's overhauls "prima facie fundamentally change Sanctaria" according to SCP spokesperson on Devolution and Governmental Affairs, Andrew Silk. Not longer intending to simply devolve power, Jackson's bill would actually completely federalise the Divine Republic, and some of the "significant constitutional reform" first heralded in the white-paper include even more reform of the Senate (the Senate was last reformed only 5 years ago), changes to how central government and the House of Deputies are composed and work, giving the President more power, and changing the title of the Prime Minister to Federal Chancellor. A further change includes changing the description of the country from "Divine Republic" to "Divine Federation".

Jackson defended his proposed bill at the Joint Committee today by saying "if we're going to fundamentally change the way government is devolved in this country, then we need to do it right, and we need to do it thoroughly. People deserve autonomy, not whatever scraps of power any given government may feel like throwing to them". He went on to explain that "deep and thought-provoking discussions with people around the country, with the Attorney General, and looking to international best practice has convinced me that a country of Sanctaria's size and influence needs to properly decentralise power and federalise power to further improve and grow as a nation".

Also confirmed today was the number of federal states - six will be created, and not seven as the government had originally planned. Three will be the largest cities - becoming city-states; Sanctus, Corpus, and Haven will all take in surrounding towns and administrative counties to become enlarged enough to operate independently federally. The other three will be Aquitanium, Glorionis, and Novum Aeternum. While Aquitanium's boundaries have already been proposed by the government - everything west of the River Sonder, excluding that given to Corpus, plus the Isles - the proposed boundary between Glorionis and Novum Aeternum have yet to be decided.

Jackson has said that he hopes the Great Devolution Bill will be passed by the autumn, with a referendum before Christmas likely. He said if passed, he would expect the first state elections to be conducted for 2020 and that the government would, over its lifetime, continue to devolve power and upon dissolution of parliament in 2023, full constitutional and legislative effect would be given - Sanctaria would be fully federalised.

When asked if the government would dissolve early to allow this to happen, Jackson said this was unlikely, but state elections would probably be held the same day as the Senate elections in 2020, which is why they were aiming for that date.

Sanctus - The Patriarchal Palace this evening announced via their press office that the life of Patriarch Simon XVI was "slowly coming to a close" as they revealed the head of the Sanctarian Catholic Church was in a coma following what they called a "cardiac episode" that occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning. Msgr. Peter Montague, the Church's communications director, confirmed the Patriarch's doctors were with him, monitoring his progress, but did not expect the Patriarch to recover; "he is peacefully drifting to the heavenly father", Msr. Montague told reporters in the regular Saturday evening press gaggle.

Patriarch Simon XVI has been head of the Sanctarian Catholic Church, also known as the Church of Sanctaria, since September 2003 when he succeeded Simon XV. Prior to becoming the Archbishop of Sanctus, and thereby Patriarch of the Church itself, he was an auxiliary Bishop in Corpus; he was the first non Sanctus or Haven Archbishop or Bishop to be translated to the See of Sanctus in over 700 years.

Simon XVI's current state of health was announced this evening prior to the weekly Sunday Mass celebrated by the Patriarch in Sanctus. The health of the Patriarch is usually kept as a private affair with the public and church-goers not usually notified of any ill health unless hospitalisation or death occurs. Msgr. Montague confirmed that Sunday Mass would be going ahead in all dioceses and parishes as expected, with an auxiliary bishop celebrating the Mass in the Basilica of St. George in Heaven in place of the Patriarch.

When pushed on the current state of affairs of the 88-year-old Patriarch, Msgr. Montague said that though the respected theologian is currently in a coma, and is not expected to awake, doctors said they were not expecting an imminent death. "Out of respect", Msgr. Montague said, he would "not be commenting further on His Holiness". Sources close to the doctors attending Simon XVI, however, have said that while death does not look imminent, he is not expected to survive the coming week.

Sanctus - It was announced this afternoon that Simon XVI, Patriarch of the Sanctarian Catholic Church, has died. He was 88-years-old. He passed away following a cardiac attack that occurred in the early hours of last Saturday morning. He had served as head of the Church of Sanctaria since 2003.

Both the President and the Prime Minister today paid tribute to the late Patriarch, in particular praising his policies that the Church increase its outreach efforts to drug addicts and the homeless in recent years. Flags have been ordered to fly at half-mast until sundown tonight. Amanda Thomas, Secretary for Culture, the Arts, and Heritage also paid tribute to Simon XVI and confirmed she would be attending the funeral as representative of the Government. The President's office also confirmed she would be attending the funeral, which has been set for next Monday, July 16th at 11am.

With the passing of Simon XVI, the Church of Sanctaria now enters a period of sede vacante; the Chamberlain of the Sanctarian Catholic Church will now act as head of the body until a successor has been chosen by the Synod of Bishops; the Chamberlain is not permitted to execute any policies or announce new changes or directions, he is simply to act as an administrator.

Simon XVI's successor as Patriarch, or more strictly speaking his successor as Archbishop of the See of Sanctus, will be elected by the Synod of Bishops from among their own number. It is the only See of the Sanctarian Catholic Church that requires its Bishop to be elected. To be eligible for translation to the See of Sanctus, Bishops and Archbishops must be under the age of 70; of the 80 or so dioceses and archdioceses in Sanctaria, only about 30 have incumbents therefore eligible for election.

The date of the next meeting of Synod, which meets on a regular basis, was originally set for this Friday, July 13th. The Chamberlain's office has confirmed it would be postponed and an Extraordinary Synod would be called to elect the next Patriarch of the Church; the office has indicated the date for this Synod will not be set until after the funeral next Monday.

The Commonwealth of United New England would like to offer its deepest condolences to the Divine Republic of Sanctaria at this difficult time. The thoughts of the Novanglian citizenry are with the people of your country, and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO FEDERALISATION PLAN TO BE ANNOUNCED TODAYby JOEY SESSIONS, Political Editor

Sanctus - The bill that would federalise Sanctaria goes back before the Joint Committee on Devolution this week after a tumultuous fortnight in both Houses of Parliament. While both Houses were overwhelmingly in favour of federalisation, in principle, a number of Senators and Deputies raised significant objections with how the government was planning to execute them. This paper can reveal that civil servants in the Department of Devolution and Government Affairs have spent the past few days and nights working non-stop to come up with a version of the bill that alleviates the very serious fears that were raised.

Firstly, the new draft of the bill outlines nine new states within the soon-to-be Divine Federation of Sanctaria; the three city-states of Sanctus, Corpus, and Haven, and the other six states of which will be: Aquitanium, Galvium, Glorionis, Novum Aeternum, Novum Limium, and Terra Monticolarum. A map of the proposed borders will also be produced and circulated to the Joint Committee this week. This reduces the amount of population in each non-city state to about 70/75 million, as opposed to the 150 million people per state under the previous division. The biggest complaint was if 500 million was unwieldy, 150 million would still be too much. 70-80 million is typical for large nation, the government was told by various Senators.

Secondly, the government will agree that having to create new laws for the new states is redundant and unnecessary. Lawyers in both Houses have argued that states won't be devoid of law, as has been suggested, as federal law still exists and, as Sanctaria has existed as a unitary democracy since 1974, there will be federal law on every subject. The government will acknowledge today this will be the case, thereby speeding up full federalisation from 2023 to 2020. Civil servants have drafted that while some topics will remain the purview of the federal government, like defence and foreign affairs, the new states will be free to amend the laws under their jurisdiction as to their own unique specifications.

It is also expected to be announced that Prime Minister Hendry, or Chancellor Hendry as she will be known from January 1st 2019, will announce the dissolution of the Senate approximately six month earlier than planned. As the Senate can sit until February 2020, it was expected that Hendry would let it continue until that date and hold state elections for the first time on the same dates. However, it is believed that Hendry will now call for the Senate and State elections to happen in about September/October 2018, so that the new Senate and the new State parliaments and governors can be in office from January 1st 2020, and full federalisation can take effect from that date. Under current plans, the Senate will be reduced now from 100 to 40 Senators; each of the nine states (six states and three city-states) will return 4 Senators each from a state-wide constituency. The remaining 4 will be filled by the Sanctarian diaspora around the world, a first for Sanctaria to have emigrant representation.

Also to be confirmed is the new size of the House of Deputies from 2023 to 2028, its first term after devolution. Hendry is also to announce that any seat in the House of Deputies that becomes vacant between January 1st 2019 and the end of the House's term in January 2023 won't be filled with a by-election, as the effort to reduce the size of the Federal Parliament will commence. The constitution will be edited to reflect this with a sunset clause, and any constituents not represented by a Deputy in this interim will still have their Senator to represent them.

It will also be confirmed that the format of each state's system of government will be enshrined in the federal constitution; city-states will have a city-council led by a Governing Mayor, which will be a combination of a head of the state and head of government. The other six states will have a Governor as a head of the state, performing similar state-level functions as the Sanctarian President, and each State Parliament, which will be bicameral, will elect a Premier, who will be the state's equivalent of a Prime Minister or First Minister. Each non-city state will have a State House and a State Council, which will be the lower and upper chambers respectively; the Premier will be elected by majority vote in the lower chamber of the state parliaments.

The Supreme Court of Sanctaria will remain the highest court in the land, and can hear appeals from the the states. The Sanctarian Court of Appeals, the second highest court, will however be split between the 9 states. It will be officially abolished and judges from the Court will be divided among the new High Courts established in each of the state, likely to be 3 per new High Court given the current makeup of the Court of Appeals. District and Circuit Courts will not be changed, bar those that cross new state lines - in these cases, the boundaries of their jurisdiction will be adjusted.

The new timetable will look something like below:

January 2019 - Federal States officially created.

The Divine Republic of Sanctaria will change its name to the Divine Federation of Sanctaria.

The Parliament of Sanctaria will change its name to the Federal Parliament of Sanctaria.

The title of Prime Minister of Sanctaria will be changed to the Federal Chancellor of Sanctaria. It's expected this will be referred to colloquially as the Chancellor.

October 2019 - Senate elections. State elections (bar non-city states, which have their own existing schedules).

January 2020 - February 2023 - Federal Parliament of Sanctaria will continue to assist the new states via legislative safety nets and federal oversight and control of services not yet properly transferred.

United New England would like to congratulate Sanctaria on this well-designed plan. We are firm believers in local representation and are sure that these changes will bring even greater peace and prosperity to your nation.

FEDERALISATION REFERENDUM TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 10by GWEN COPLEY, Political Correspondent

Sanctus - Secretary for Devolution & Governmental Affairs, Ben Jackson, today announced that he had signed the order for the referendum on federalisation to occur on Saturday, November 10. The move comes after both the House of Deputies and the Senate today passed what has become known as the "Great Devolution Bill" with wide cross-party support. The name of the bill, of course, greatly undervalues the content and should the referendum be passed, it will be the biggest overhaul of the Sanctarian Constitution since it came into effect in 1974, with many commentators saying a new constitution should have been written instead of the piecemeal edits to a whole host of different sections.

Last minute adjustments in the legislation include the scrapping of the proposal that a sunset provision will be inserted in the constitution that would remove the necessity to replace any retiring/resigning members of the House of Deputies to bring down the numbers. Further amendments include specific details in the constitution surrounding the composition of State parliaments, their titles, and the limits of their powers; non-city states will be required to be bicameral, with a State Assembly as the lower house, and a State Council as the upper house. The city states will have a Governing Mayor, combining the offices of a head of state and head of government that the non-city states have, however any other cities across the nation in all other states must rename their city councils to boards of supervisors to avoid confusion with the City Councils that will exist in Sanctus, Corpus, and Haven.

The Parliament of Sanctaria will continue to have supremacy in law, but will allow states to legislate on most matters, excluding defence, foreign affairs, some tax and financial measures, and matters that require federal involvement, such as national curricula in education, and national minimum wage laws. Conflicts between state law and federal law shall be arbitrated by the Supreme Court in all other cases, with the idea that it will either uphold the supremacy of federal law where it deems it is constitutionally appropriate, and rule in favour of the states' rights to create their own legislation where the constitution doesn't not forbid it to do so.

Also included in the the bill are provisions that state government departments are to be called "Ministries" and while each state's head of government will be called the Premier, members of the state cabinets are to be called "Ministers".

Polling currently has the referendum passing at a 62% Yes rate, but this is seen as slightly soft by some commentators.

Buttercity, Lauchenoiria - There has been a noticeable tension in the air across most of Lauchenoiria since the civil war ended with the signing of the Haven Accords in Sanctaria, but here in Buttercity, the capital, the populace seem to have started to hold their breath, in anticipation and perhaps dread, the beginning of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission this week.

The TRC, which will like the negotiations to end the war be hosted by neutral Sanctaria, will finally do what many Lauchenoirians want now the war is over - lay blame. Only then, many commentators here say, can healing actually begin. Interim Prime Minister Keitha Noguera last week penned a column in a local paper where, stressing how important the TRC, implored people to remain calm and to respect its verdicts. The verdicts, which may not come until mid-2019 at the earliest, will likely inspire protests regardless of the results, and will one of the first major tests for Noguera in post-conflict Lauchenoiria.

Group Special Envoy for the Lauchenoirian Conflict, Robert Smyth, who is responsible for executing the provisions of the Haven Accords on behalf of the Sanctarian Government, last week announced the TRC will be held in Nicene on the Sanctarian west coast. He also revealed that retired Court of Appeals Justice Sylvia Churcher will be the chief adjudicator in the TRC.

The International Democratic Union will be keeping a very close eye on the TRC as its proceedings get underway. Countries like Laeral and Gonhog participated heavily in the civil war on either side and their actions will also come under close scrutiny. So too will the actions of the Matriarchy of Kerlile, a country reported to exercise huge human rights abuses against the male minority - abuses which some say are almost genocidal in nature. This will be the first time in recent history the seculsive and isolated nation may have to air its laundry in public.

Sanctarian Foreign Secretary Brian Young said "Sanctaria was proud to defend democracy and peace in the International Democratic Union" and that through its responsibility as guarantor of the Haven Accords it is "more than happy to host the TRC and to ensure its decisions and verdicts are carried out". There have been some protests already in Nicene outside the old courthouse where the commission will hold its business; activists say the Sanctarian government should "stop with the show trial" and "arrest all the warmongers".

No protests yet in Buttercity but for the first time since the end of the war, there's been more armed police on the streets at night in the week leading up to the beginning of what may prove to be the most important judicial event in Lauchenoirian history.

SANCTARIANS GO TO POLLS TO DECIDE ON NEW, FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES TO COUNTRYby JOEY SESSIONS, Political Editor

Sanctus - Sanctarians are today voting in one of the most important and radical referenda since the formation of the Divine Republic in 1974 - but turnout reports from polling stations this morning suggest that many don't seem to care.

Federalisation, and significant overhauls to the 1974 Constitution, will impact the day-to-day lives of citizens, but neither the pro- nor anti-campaigns seem to have generated enough interest to get people to the ballot boxes - national turnout at 12 noon today is only estimated to be approximately 29%. With polls open until 10pm tonight, the government is hoping many late risers on the weekend will get out to vote.

Despite the lower than expected turnout, however, the government is confident the measures will pass, with all parties in the Sanctarian Parliament in favour of it. Smaller parties too have been asking their members to vote in favour of the ballot; federalised assemblies will give them a greater chance for election, particularly if some states decide to adopt different, and more subjectively more fair, electoral systems than the first-past-the-post system that the parliament operates under. One exception to these smaller parties, and the main side leading the anti-campaign is the Sanctarian People's Party, whose policies include embracing the imperial past of Sanctaria, and imploring it become a nation-conquering empire once again. The SPP typically receive less than 2% support in the polls.

Some academics have suggested that if the government had simply decided to introduce a new constitution, and thus removing the requirement the remaining seven referenda that are planned in the DLP's term, turnout would be higher since people would be more motivated to go to the polls. One leading law professor has said that, if passed, 80% of the 1974 Constitution will have been rewritten since its adoption, a significantly high amendment rate which in other countries would have spurred on a constitutional convention to rewrite the country's basic law; only the Green Party have consistently adopted an election policy of introducing a new constitution since the election in 2000.

If passed today, the government will spend the next year preparing for federalisation which, though nominally in place from 01 January 2019, will only see matters devolved and state governments functioning in January 2020, following elections which Secretary for Devolution Ben Jackson has said take place in late October 2019.

NEW POLITICS IN A NEW SANCTARIAby GWEN COPLEY, Political Correspondent

Sanctus - Legislation officialising the referendum result was signed by President Woodstrom this morning - Sanctaria will become a federalised country at one minute past midnight on January 1st, 2019. While the entire process will take much longer than this referendum campaign, the Democratic Left Party, and in particular Secretary for Devolution and Governmental Affairs Ben Jackson, have been in a jubilous mood since the returning officer announced last Sunday that 61% of voters had voted in favour of their initiative. But as the saying goes a week is a long time in politics, and the past week has proved surprising for those of all parties and none.

On Monday the Christian Union Party announced that their leader, John Halligan, would be resigning as leader to take over one of the CUP's new state-level branches - the Terra Monticolarum branch. His reason was simple - Terra Monticolarum will have the biggest concentration of CUP voters. Based on previous elections, Halligan is in a great position to become the first Premier of Terra Monticolarum should the votes next year fall his way.

But it does signal that the CUP is acknowledging they will never be a force on the national stage again and to stay relevant, they need to focus on state-level governments, especially now when a great dearth of law and responsibility is being devolved on these new federal states.

On Tuesday, it was the turn of the Sanctarian Conservative Party to take a hit. Andrew Silk, the party's most prominent and fiercest conservatives, announced that he would be contesting the 2019 state elections in Novum Aeternum - a state almost guaranteed to be SCP dominated. Setting himself up to take over leadership of the new state-level Novum Aeternum SCP, Silk will almost certainly be Premier of Novum Aeternum when their state government is properly in place in January 2020.

Or will he?

On Wednesday it was reported that hard-line conservatives in the SCP, including Andrew Silk, were reportedly considering splitting from the SCP and forming a new party, the New Sanctaria Party. The domain name has already been purchased and offices bought in states like Terra Monticolarum and Novum Aeternum. That report cited sources saying this new NSP would try to turn conservatives from both the SCP and the CUP to their further right-wing party; not quite as right-wing as the nationalist Sanctarian People's Party, it is reported, but more hardline than either the SCP or the CUP have been since the 70s.

If successful, and it would be a great gambit, it would be a massive hit to the SCP's plans to build up dominance in the states - and perhaps nationally too. Is this the beginning of the end of the SCP's dominance in Sanctarian politics?

On Thursday it was the turn of the DLP for bad news. Haven's Independent Senator, June Warren, announced she would run in the election to become Haven's Governing-Mayor in May 2019. Haven, one of the three new city-states that will have state governments right away because of the existing structures of devolution, was on course to deliver a DLP Mayor; now it's likely Warren will steal that accolade from them to become the city's first independent mayor.

Sanctaria will be, from January 2019, changed, changed utterly. And while all parties campaigned that Sanctaria would be better for it, their internal political structures and fortunes may not be.

DEFENCE SPENDING TO INCREASE FOR FIRST TIME IN TWO DECADESby BRIAN DeNOBLE, Defence & Security Correspondent

Sanctus - Homeland Security Secretary, Kathryn Stewart, today announced to the House of Deputies that the Government would be committing billions more than expected to the Sanctarian Armed Forces over the next number of years, as an increase in the number of aircraft carriers and destroyers was warranted to both replace and expand the current fleet. The announcement came as a shock to many in the house, most of whom were on the DLP's own benches, as the party has traditionally been known as the more war-weary of the two main political parties.

While the Democratic Left Party's policy spokesperson later said that the move was made on the backs of the chiefs of the armed forces, and it was a move the DLP was making with "a heavy heart, as [they] acknowledge these are massive weapons of war", sources within Stewart's office have also indicated that the recent war in Lauchenoiria, as well as Sanctaria's position to enforce the peace treaty there, have highlighted potential deficiencies in Sanctaria's defence capability. Sanctaria navy, while formidable, is full of ships almost forty years old in most cases, and the guided missile defence systems are woefully out of the date. The sources continued that they "have no idea" why the Sanctarian Conservative Party did nothing about the situation during their almost 20 years in power, but they suspect they wanted to leave it for the DLP to "deal with", as defence spending is generally not a crowd pleaser.

Secretary Stewart, meanwhile, confirmed that not only would the navy be seeing dozens of new ships being built and delivered over the next ten years, the air force and army would also be received hundreds of millions of pounds for more equipment and personnel. It will be the biggest investment in the Sanctarian Armed Forces since the foundation of the state. Political commentators have noted that announcing it so soon after the federalisation referendum was won, as well as within their first year of office, suggests that the DLP is well aware of the optics and unpopularity of the move, and they hope the voters will have forgotten by the time the next general election rolls around in 2023.

The SCP, who recently announced that scrapping the nation's long-standing tradition of neutrality would be part of their next election manifesto, welcomed Secretary Stewart's announcement today, though cautioned that focusing mainly on the navy could be to the detriment to the other branches of the armed forces.